|
|
|
Carolyn Koehn
Hatteberg's People
Reporter: Larry Hatteberg
 |
February 23, 2003-When a town begins to decay, come folk's just get out of the way. Well, not in Burns, Kansas, not Carolyn Koehn and a special set of volunteers who have decided to keep the town alive with a new gathering place. On Hatteberg's People it is community spirit on the prairie. |
|
City Clerk Carolyn Koehn is one of those people who seems to have unlimited energy. I caught up with her in the new community center that is nearly finished.
"Burns is probably your typical little town out in the hills. We're a population of 270."
"What makes Burns unique is that we have a really special combination of people living here. We have people who have lived here all their life and then we have people who have moved in. We have that ability to work together to embrace new ideas." |
|
And right now that posture of 'working together' is building a new and beautiful community center for the city of Burns. Volunteer labor made it happen. Men and women ready to roll up their sleeves to make a difference in the community.
|
 |
|
"It's all the volunteers who have come here and donated days, and weeks, and months of their livelihood to put this building together."
Mayor Mary Glenn says the community is enthusiastic.
"To be here every day and just to see this change...there is nothing
like it."
|
 |
|
Outside Carolyn Koehn is busy showing me the layout of the parking lot.
"This will all be concrete going up to here. Then you can just pull up and drop your family off here. This will be a 60 car parking lot."
|
|
|
El Dorado Banker Stephan Waite says there is more to come.
"Burns is really a neat little community on the move."
His bank has built a new facility near the community center. Another bank downtown pulled out a couple of years ago when the building that housed it collapsed.
Carolyn Koehn is described as the community sparkplug. Her office, interestingly enough, is in an old jail.
"And over the years, it involved into the city offices. When I first started here this was really a dark little hole. But I painted it and fixed it up and now I like my little jail cell."
It has been Koehn who wrote the grant to get the community building and she's not done. She believes another grant may get this miniature town library moved to a nearby vacant building.
|
"We have this building over here. (Pointing a block away) It was given to the city...when we asked for it actually. We want to get a grant and put a library and the city building in it."
|
 |
| All over town there is change...these empty places on the main street...only temporary. Carolyn has ideas for them too. |
 |
"When people see empty corners. I see possibilities. We have a lot of projects going on and there is a lot of opportunity here."
There is a lot happening...but the quiet part of this town is also appealing. |
|
"The quiet is great. I love it here. This is my town."
Larry's Note: Burns is located in Marion County on Highway 77, 11 miles South of Florence.
|
|
| Have a story idea for Hatteberg's
People? Send Larry an email
with the details. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
